


Finding Family

by rockinmomoko



Series: Sun and Moon [4]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Episode: s02e08 The Chase, Everyone Needs A Hug, F/M, Fights, Found Family, Gen, How Do I Tag, OC-centric, Protective Siblings, Sleep Deprivation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-10
Updated: 2020-08-10
Packaged: 2021-03-06 03:00:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,803
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25656304
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rockinmomoko/pseuds/rockinmomoko
Summary: "Wait, who’s Zuko?”She felt Sokka open his mouth to reply but Kanna beat him to it, surprisingly. She hadn't spoken much since Toph had decided to teach Aang.“Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation, son of Ursa and Fire Lord Ozai.”“Wait, the prince of the Fire Nation is after you? The banished prince? Why didn’t you guys tell me?"Toph is trying to find her place in the group, but how well does she know the people she's run away with?
Relationships: Iroh & Zuko (Avatar), Iroh (Avatar) & Original Female Character(s), Katara & Original Female Character(s), Sokka (Avatar) & Original Female Character(s), Toph Beifong & Katara, Toph Beifong & Original Female Character(s), Zuko/Original Female Character(s)
Series: Sun and Moon [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1859098
Comments: 8
Kudos: 76





	Finding Family

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Embers](https://archiveofourown.org/works/3591783) by [Vathara](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vathara/pseuds/Vathara). 
  * Inspired by [Tempest in a Teacup](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/63600) by AkaVertigo. 



> I forgot I had already linked Embers and Tempest in a Teacup and I'm too lazy to unlink them. So, you can access them from this fic, too! Hooray!
> 
> Also if anyone wants to toss titles at me that would be great. I stressed over what to call this one for, like, days, which is one of the reasons I didn't post this one immediately even though it was finished before Brothers and Sisters.
> 
> Anyways, hope you enjoy!
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar, but Kanna is mine

Toph knew there was something about Kanna that the others hadn’t told her. To be fair, she’d only been around the group for a day or two, but even she could tell there was something off about how they treated her. Katara and Sokka definitely treated each other as siblings, and Kanna was supposedly their older sister, but they didn’t have the same camaraderie with her as they had with each other. Maybe it was just because she was older. But Toph was pretty sure the gap between Sokka and Kanna wasn’t too much longer than the gap between Sokka and Katara. But hey, who was she to question it? It’s not like she had any siblings of her own.

The second night with the group went from bad to worse as they had to relocate a second time. Once camp was set up – after another fight with Katara, seriously, what was her problem? – one of the others mentioned that maybe it was some guy named Zuko who was coming after them.

"Wait, who’s Zuko?”

She felt Sokka open his mouth to reply but Kanna beat him to it, surprisingly. She hadn't spoken much since Toph had decided to teach Aang.

“Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation, son of Ursa and Fire Lord Ozai.”

“Wait, the _prince_ of the Fire Nation is after you? The banished prince? Why didn’t you guys tell me?”

“Eh, it’s not a big deal. He’s just guy with a scar and a ponytail.” Toph felt Kanna bristle at that, though she didn’t say anything else and let Katara tease Sokka about his ‘warrior’s wolf tail.’ Toph considered Kanna’s response. For some reason she understood the gravity of the Fire Nation Prince chasing them while her siblings didn’t. She supposed that could once again be put down to age but she doubted it. Sokka was 16, legal age in all of the nations. So what made her different?

Toph hadn’t so much as finished the thought before they realized they’d been followed. Again. Aang suggested they stay to see if their stalkers were friendly, but as soon as Kanna saw whoever had exited the metal thing that was following them she tensed and inhaled sharply.

“We need to go, now! Everyone get on Appa!” Normally, Toph would have tried to stay and fight but there was something in Kanna’s voice that made her listen. She’d sounded _scared_ almost. And even in the short time that Toph had known the woman, Toph knew that was rare.

She clambered onto the saddle with help from Kanna. The others quickly followed and they took off again.

“Who was _that_?” she asked, hating how high her voice sounded. She wasn’t scared! She was just thrown off and tired. That’s all.

“We fought them in Ba Sing Se. One of the girls has crazy blue fire, one is really good with throwing knives, and the last is the worst. She does something that takes your bending away.” Katara actually sounded scared, too. What was going on with everybody? And now Toph couldn’t feel anything so she was even more unnerved.

“I told you last time, they’re more than some random Fire Nation teenagers. That’s Princess Azula and her friends Mai and Ty Lee. Azula is Zuko’s younger sister, and she’s much, much worse than him. Ty Lee is a chi-blocker, which is how she takes your bending away. It isn’t permanent, Toph, but it’s still not a pleasant experience, and very dangerous in battle.”

“Why do you know so much about these guys, when the others don’t?”

“I grew up in the Caldera. I spent more time with people from the Fire Nation than I did in the South Pole.”

Sokka scoffed. “You always make it sound like it wasn’t terrible. She was kidnapped, Toph, when she was only eight, and taken to the Fire Nation. It wasn’t until Zuko attacked our village that we even saw her again, and it was another month after that that we were able to get her away from the Fire Nation. She pretends the whole thing wasn’t traumatic.”

“Maybe I’m not pretending and I’m not actually some damaged, fragile, helpless girl like you seem to think I am. Maybe you should listen when I say that not everyone in the Fire Nation is evil and that I actually was able to find happiness while I was there. Maybe, just maybe, you could let me actually tell my story without you jumping in to ‘correct’ everything I say. Agni, it drives me insane! You’ve never even _asked_ what happened while I lived in the Fire Nation! You just assume it was awful! And I get it, what the Fire Nation did to our tribe, what it’s done to Earth Kingdom and the Air Nomads, spirits, what’s happened with this whole war is awful and despicable and it needs to be stopped. Seriously, I do agree and I get it. But that does not mean that I couldn’t be happy!”

Silence followed her outburst and Toph suppressed the urge to laugh. Normally she wouldn’t bother but this didn’t seem like an appropriate time. It was just so absurd. Toph wished she had some way to know how everyone was reacting, but beyond the silence Toph couldn’t tell what anyone was doing. Eventually, Kanna sighed and it sounded like she spoke while covering her face with her hands.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. I’m just tired and on edge, and I’m sure I’ll feel better once we finally get some rest. Although, knowing that it’s the Trio on our tail that seems very unlikely.” The silence stretched on until Aang timidly spoke up.

“The Trio?”

“Oh. Yeah. That’s what Zuko and I called them growing up. Well, more accurately the Terror Trio but just Trio worked well enough. It was easier than saying all three names.”

Toph wanted more information. Kanna had said she’d grown up in the Caldera, and Toph knew that only Fire Nation nobles, or ‘great names’ as they called them, lived there, so that meant that somehow Kanna had been considered part of a noble household. And considering she seemed to be close to the Fire Nation prince… Toph _really_ wanted to know more. Turns out Kanna was the most interesting person in their little group and one of them was literally a 113-year-old Avatar who’d been frozen in a block of ice for a hundred years.

No one spoke for the rest of the ride, until Appa fell asleep and they literally fell out of the sky. Worst. Experience. Ever. Then she fought with both Aang and Katara and that was it. She was done. Sokka tried to stop her from leaving but it was Kanna who actually followed her. She figured the woman hadn’t actually done anything to make her mad so she might as well listen to what she had to say.

“You gonna try and convince me to go back?”

“Nah, I figure you know what you want and what you think is right. If you think it’s best for you to leave, I’m not gonna stop you. I just want to let you know I don’t agree with them. In fact, I think they’re both idiots. Even if they’re exhausted, that’s no excuse for what they were saying.”

Toph cocked her head in surprise, but she could sense that Kanna wasn't lying. Still, the fact that someone trusted her to know her own mind and what was best for herself was a foreign concept. She was still trying to adjust to the fact that she’d left behind her home with all its stupid restrictions and rules so she wasn’t used to people actually letting her do things. But that didn’t explain why Kanna had followed her to tell her these things. There was no reason to, even if she did think them. So why had she come?

“Thanks, but why’d you follow me? It doesn’t seem like telling me that is that important.”

Kanna shifted, but her heart rate didn’t pick up so Toph didn’t think she was nervous. Probably just thinking about what she wanted to say.

“Well, I wanted to also tell you this. Even when you can take care of yourself it’s okay to rely on others. I’m perfectly capable of defending and providing for myself, but I know that protectiveness and mothering are how Sokka and Katara show their love for me. It may grate on my nerves at times, as I’m sure everyone noticed after my outburst tonight, but that doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate the intent behind it. I guess I’m just trying to say that even though they aren’t the easiest people to get along with doesn’t mean they aren’t worth knowing. Of course, this is still not me trying to get you to go back. Believe me, I’ve almost left several times. I’m just saying. If you’re waiting to find a group of people you get along perfectly with it’s never gonna happen. Even my hu—” she cut herself off.

Toph hmmed, thinking. There was some stuff there she was going to have to think about but that last bit had her immediate attention.

“Your… husband? Is that what you were gonna say?”

She felt Kanna shift again, and this time her heart rate _had_ increased, so Toph figured she was right. Why else would Kanna be so nervous? The question was, why did she hide the fact that she was married? Unless…

“Oh spirits, are you married to the Fire Nation prince?!” She couldn’t keep the laugh in as Kanna groaned.

“Never let anyone tell you that you aren’t smart, Toph. You’re the first to figure it out. The others still don’t know and I’m not looking forward to when they find out.”

Toph considered that and winced. If how they’d talked about Zuko was any indication, they definitely wouldn’t handle it well. In fact, it would probably be for the best if they never found out. Except, Kanna didn’t seem like she _didn’t_ want to be married to the prince, which probably meant that this Zuko guy wasn’t as bad as the others made him seem. It also meant that she was probably planning on reuniting with him at some point. Which definitely wouldn’t end well.

But Toph shouldn’t even be concerned about this. She was done with all the wacky shenanigans that Twinkle Toes and his ragtag group got up to, though she realized she was going to miss having friends. But they clearly didn’t actually want her around so she was leaving to travel the world on her own. Right now, though, she should probably say something to Kanna.

“Well, your secret’s safe with me. If you’re planning on staying with your family, though, you should probably head back before they fly off again.”

“Thank you. And you’re probably right. Well, take care of yourself, Toph, and if we meet again don’t hesitate to say hi. Or ask for help if you need it.” She headed back in the direction of the camp and Toph stifled the urge to go with her. She was done with that.

~~~

Toph wasn't exactly sure how she'd gotten to this point.. First, she’d found an old man in the woods who made her tea and convinced her to give her friends another chance. Then, she’d tracked Aang and the others to an abandoned town along with that same old man, who insisted she call him 'Uncle,' and found Twinkle Toes in a fight with two firebenders who seemed to have it out for each other as much as him. From there everything happened so fast that she couldn’t remember how it had actually all gone down. All she knows is that it led them to now, seven people backing one into a corner. She felt Azula move but she was too fast. She heard Zuko’s yell and Kanna’s scream at the same time that Uncle fell to the ground. She attacked, feeling the others move alongside her, but it was too late. The damage was done and Azula was gone.

Zuko fell to his knees by Uncle and Toph’s heart hurt at how grief-stricken he sounded. Kanna was trembling but she didn’t hesitate as she threw herself on the ground next to Uncle and started bending. Katara moved forward, probably intending to help but Zuko snarled at her.

“Zuko, I can help!”

“LEAVE!” He swept his arm out and they all ducked to avoid the flame. Normally, that probably would have been enough to get them to go, but Toph knew they didn’t want to leave Kanna behind.

She felt Kanna sigh, though it was too quiet for any but maybe Zuko to hear. She thought she knew what was coming but somehow it still caught her off guard.

“Go. All of you. I'll take care of Uncle Iroh. It’s still dangerous here and you need to leave. Zuko and I can get the three of us to safety, but you need to get out of here before Azula comes back.”

Immediately, Sokka and Katara started yelling and trying to convince her to leave. Toph noticed that Aang didn’t seem to be saying much of anything and wondered if maybe Kanna had been wrong about her being the first to realize that she and Zuko were married.

She wasn’t paying close attention to what Sokka and Katara were saying, more focused on everyone's reactions, but she knew when they’d gone too far. Kanna’s entire body tensed and even Zuko seemed to wince, though neither of their attention seemed to leave Uncle and Kanna’s healing bending never wavered.

“What did you just say?” Kanna’s voice was quiet and as hard and cold as ice. It cut through the noise Sokka and Katara were making and a tense silence stretched between them until Katara responded.

“I said, I’m not leaving you with your kidnappers when you should be with family.”

Toph felt Kanna and Zuko look at each other, and she wondered what silent conversation was hidden in that look. Even with what she’d put together she felt like she was missing something big and that whatever it was, it was enough to finally break Kanna.

“This man under my hands is more of a father to me than Hakoda is," Kanna said, her voice just as hard and cold as it was before. "He has raised me for the past _ten years_ , Katara. _This man_ is the one who comforted me after nightmares and taught me how to make tea properly and taught me right from wrong. _This man_ saved me when I was eight years old and made me his daughter. _This man_ is as much my family as you or Sokka, and I would rather die than leave him right now. Do you really want to know who I think of as kidnappers and who I think of as family? Do you really? Because I can promise you that right now you wouldn’t like the answer. Uncle and Zuko have been there for me when literally no one else has and _you took me from them!_ And I do love you, because you’re my brother and sister but if you make me leave now, _I’ll never forgive you_.”

“Kanna.” Zuko’s voice was soft but it was enough to pull Kanna from the edge. She turned back to Uncle and Toph could feel her body shaking like she was holding in sobs. Her breath shuddered through her body and Toph’s heart ached. As much as she had done her best to experience the world despite her parents restrictions, she had still been pretty sheltered all her life and couldn’t imagine the turmoil roiling through Kanna now. In fact, she felt a little bit guilty with how she’d acted earlier knowing now that Kanna had somehow managed to put up with the others for months with all this building inside her and she couldn’t handle two days of Katara’s nagging.

“But, Kanna,” Katara’s voice was small and sounded like she was holding back tears, but Toph knew it wasn’t enough.

“Just go, please, before I hurt you even more.” Kanna’s voice was tired and Toph sensed Zuko place a hand on her shoulder. She turned away and grabbed Sokka’s arm. She felt Aang grab Katara’s and together they pulled the two siblings away from the trio on the ground and over to Appa. Somehow, they all made it into the saddle and flew off without a word.

After a while Toph crawled across the saddle to where she heard Katara’s sniffles and pulled the other girl into a hug. Neither said anything but Toph knew that their disagreement was forgotten. _If Kanna can choose her family_ , she thought, _then I can too_.

**Author's Note:**

> It has been brought to my attention that Kanna seems very solemn. I can understand why that would be the case, since everything I've posted has her reacting to very serious situations. Hopefully this shows a little more of her personality, though it's once again a stressful, serious situation.
> 
> Hmm. Maybe I enjoy writing those kinds of scenarios more than I thought I did...


End file.
